The global fast-food chain has taken down a Christmas advertisement made with AI following receiving considerable criticism on social media.
The short spot was produced via generative AI clips and was originally uploaded publicly for the Dutch branch of McDonald's on 6 December.
Viewer Response and Removal
Shortly after its release, commenters criticized the use of AI in the film. Many described it as "creepy" and "jarringly assembled".
"This experience is an important lesson as we explore the effective use of Artificial Intelligence," said a representative from McDonald's Netherlands.
The advert was created for the brand by Netherlands-based company TBWA\Neboko and US firm The Sweetshop. It showed various scenarios that can go wrong during the holidays, under the slogan "not the most wonderful time of the year".
A Growing Phenomenon of AI-Generated Ads
Campaigns that include AI tools have become a increasing trend among large corporations, especially for the holiday period.
- Another beverage giant has recently launched consecutive AI-generated holiday ads.
- Inherent Limitations: As segments created with generative AI are prone to degrade the longer they run, the majority of such clips tend to be only six to 10 seconds in length.
- Industry Concerns: The video also raised concerns about the replacement of human roles in the production industry, with some commenters pointing out it could negatively impact work for production staff.
Response from the Production Company
After the video's removal, The Sweetshop's head, Melanie Bridge, defended the advert.
According to her, the development required "seven weeks" and involved producing "thousands of takes" which were then edited in post-production "in the same way we would on any standard production".
"This wasn't an AI gimmick," she commented. "It was a film."
Divisive Audience Sentiment
While the Dutch McDonald's commercial was largely criticized, the response for some AI-generated campaigns has been divisive.
For instance, a recent AI-created holiday ad from another major brand according to analysis garnered a significant "positive feedback" from viewers.
However, various brands have also faced backlash for using the technique in advertising. Italian brand Valentino, for example, was criticized for advertisements that critics described as "cheap" and "uncanny".
The episode illustrates the evolving conversation within the advertising and production industries about the trade-off between technological innovation and audience reception.
